Donald Trump suffered “child abuse” at the hands of his “high-functioning sociopath” father, according to an upcoming memoir by the president’s niece.
Mary Trump claims that “love meant nothing” to Fred Sr, “who expected obedience, that is all”, the Daily Mail reports.
After Trump’s mother became seriously ill when he was two years old, the future president was left with “total dependence on a caregiver [Fred Sr] who also caused him terror”, she writes. “Donald suffered deprivations that would scar him for life.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The president’s niece, a clinical psychologist, claims this childhood trauma saw him grow to become not only a “narcissist” but also someone who “meets the criteria for antisocial personality disorder, which in its most severe form is generally considered sociopathy”.
“Lying, cheating and hiding one’s true feelings” were all allegedly rewarded in the Trump household, says CNBC.
Mary Trump claims that as a result, her uncle came to view these behaviours as the norm, using lying as “a mode of self-aggrandisement meant to convince other people he was better than he actually was”.
She also alleges “multiple instances of shocking behaviour by the president as a younger man, including academic cheating to get into a prestigious business school, and brutal treatment of women”, reports The Guardian, which has obtained a copy of the memoir, titled “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man”.
The book is due to be released next Tuesday, following a failed legal bid by the Trump family to block the publication.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany yesterday insisted that “it’s a book of falsehoods... ridiculous, absurd allegations that have absolutely no bearing in truth”.
-
The battle over the Irish language in Northern IrelandUnder the Radar Popularity is soaring across Northern Ireland, but dual-language sign policies agitate division as unionists accuse nationalists of cultural erosion
-
Villa Treville Positano: a glamorous sanctuary on the Amalfi CoastThe Week Recommends Franco Zeffirelli’s former private estate is now one of Italy’s most exclusive hotels
-
How roadkill is a surprising boon to scientific researchUnder the radar We can learn from animals without trapping and capturing them
-
Greenland: The lasting damage of Trump’s tantrumFeature His desire for Greenland has seemingly faded away
-
The price of forgivenessFeature Trump’s unprecedented use of pardons has turned clemency into a big business.
-
Will Peter Mandelson and Andrew testify to US Congress?Today's Big Question Could political pressure overcome legal obstacles and force either man to give evidence over their relationship with Jeffrey Epstein?
-
The ‘mad king’: has Trump finally lost it?Talking Point Rambling speeches, wind turbine obsession, and an ‘unhinged’ letter to Norway’s prime minister have caused concern whether the rest of his term is ‘sustainable’
-
A running list of everything Donald Trump’s administration, including the president, has said about his healthIn Depth Some in the White House have claimed Trump has near-superhuman abilities
-
Why is Tulsi Gabbard trying to relitigate the 2020 election now?Today's Big Question Trump has never conceded his loss that year
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
‘Implementing strengthened provisions help advance aviation safety’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
